Geoege fletcher



(No Model.)

G. FLETCHER.

GENTRIPUGAL MAGHINB.

No. 335,690.- Patented Feb. 9; 1886.

N. PETERS. Phomumogmpher. washingwn. D, c.

lllnirnn dramas Partnr Carien,

GEORGE FLETCHER, OF LITCHURCH, COUNTY CF DERBY, ENGLAND.

cENTaiFUe/lit wif-roanne.

SPECFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 335,690, dated February9,1886.

.Application led May E26, 1885. Serial No. 166,724.

(No model.) Patented in England February 4, 18H5, No. 1,541; in FranceApril 2B, 1885, him-168,543, and in Belgium May 4, 1885, No. HSI/'49.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that l, GEORGE FLETCHER, a subject of the Queen of GreatBritain, residing at Litchurch, in the county of Derby, England, haveinvented new and useful Improvements in Centrifugal Machines, of whichthe following is a specification.

This invention relates to that class of centrifugal machines which havethe basket carried or suspended by elastic bearings, for the purpose ofcounteracting the jar and vibration caused by the eccentric motion ofthe basket when` the material with which it is loaded is unequallydistributed.

Hitherto machines of this class have been made with the vertical centerspindle which carries the basket so supported by the elastic bearingsthat in nearly all cases the action of.

the driving-belt upon this spindle has tended to force the basket out ofthe axis of revolution, and thus to materially increase the vibrationofthe machine.

This invention relates to a new and improved arrangement in which theaforesaid vertical center spindle, which carries and revolves with thebasket and has the driven pulley or Wheel fixed thereon, is rigid, andis supported at the upper end by a coned metal bearing and carried atthe bottom end by a footstep block or bearing. The center piece of thebasket consists cfa hollow shaft or sleeve fixed upon the above centerspindle by means of one or more rings or tubes of elastic material, orby means of elastic rings or tube and coiled springs eombined, or bymeans of coiled or any other springs alone, or by means of the ball andhemispherical bearing, or by means of the ball and hemispherical bearingcombined with one or more ofthe before-mentioned elastic rings, tubes,or springs. These elastic bearings or springs, or their equivalents,allow the basket to revolve in the axis of equilibrium, so that whenuneqnally loaded the jar and vibration of a fixed basket is avoided, andat the same time the springs have a tendency to bring the axis ofrevolution concentric with that of the xed center spindle. This-has theeffect of tending to level or equally distribute the contents of thebasket, so that after some few revolutions the basket will tend toobtain and revolve evenly in an axis concentric with that of the centerspindle.

This invention has the further advantage of allowing the machine to bedriven as may be required,by gearing either overhead orunderneath-thatisto say, the driven pulley or wheel fixed upon thevertical center spindle may be placed either above or under the basket.

Figure l of the drawings represents a vertical section of a top-drivencentrifugal machine having the basket carried by elastic rings off thevertical center spindle, as hereinafter described. A is thecounter-shaft of the machine, having the friction pulley or wheel Bkeyed or otherwise secured thereon, the said pulley or wheel B drivingthe pulley or wheel C, which is keyed or otherwise secured on thevertical center spindle, D, carrying the basket E. E is a boss carryingthe coned bea-ring for the vertical center spindle, and G is the brakeacting upon the upper end of the center part of the basket. These rings,by reason of their elasticity, allow the axis to revolve in the axis ofequilibrium, thereby tending to avoid jarring and vibration from theunequal loading of the basket; but as they also tend to cause the basketto revolve in an axis concentric with that of the center spindle, it isevident that they tend to level the contents ofthe basket and todecrease the vibration. These rings or tubes H H may be made ofindia-rubber or any other suitable elastic material, or coiled springsmay be employed, or ball or hemispherieal bearings, or combinations ofthe same.

Fig. 2 is a vertical sectional view showing a basket carried orsuspended by a hemispherical bearing, A, off the center spindle, B. C isan elastic ring or tube. For this ring may be substituted a coiledspring or any combination of the saine, or the hemisp-herical bearingalone may be used.

Fig. 3 is a plan of Fig. 2.

Fig. 4 represents a side elevation of :a bottom or under drivencentrifugal machine. A is the boss carrying the coned bearing for thespindle, and B is the brake. y

Fig. 5 is a vertical section of the basket for an under-driven machine.A is the driven pulley or wheel, keyed or otherwise secured on IOO thecenter spindle, B. C C are elastie rings. For these rings may besubstituted a coiled spring, or any combination of springs hereinbeforereferred to; or the hemispherical bearing alone may be used. v

Having noW particularly described and ascertained the nature of the saidinvention and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare thatwhat I claim is- 1. The combination, with an internal spindle supportedat top and bottom in fixed bearings, of a basket hung or suspendedthereon and provided with elastic bearings or springs at the point orpoints of suspension, substantially as shown and described.

2. In combination With the spindle having unyielding bearings, thebasket E, having the hollow shaft or sleeve, as set forth, fixed to suchshaft by a yielding or elastic connection, as set forth.

3. The described method of carrying or supporting the suspended basketoft1 the nonyielding spindle, consisting in hanging it thereon byelastic or yielding bearings, all as set forth.

GEoEGE FLETCHER.

Witnesses:

JNO. MOODY, y Solicitor and Notary Public, Derby, England.

J. W. RoWBoTHAM, 15 Newland' Street, Derby, England, Clerk to Messrs.Moody & Ooolley, Solicitors and N0- tares Public.

